Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted The Ashes 2nd test match, at Lords cricket ground, between England and Australia. The Just Stop Oil supporters are demanding the UK government immediately halt new oil, gas and coal projects in the UK, and are calling on Lords to make a statement demanding an end to new fossil fuels. [1]
At around 11:05am, three Just Stop Oil supporters stormed the pitch at Lords in a cloud of orange powder-paint. The supporters were removed from the pitch, one being carried off by Jonny Bairstow.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“Cricket is an important part of our national heritage, but how can we enjoy England vs Australia when much of the cricketing world is becoming unfit for humans to live in? We can no longer afford to distract ourselves when the sports we play, the food we eat, and the culture we cherish is at risk.”
“It’s time for cricket lovers and all those who understand the severity of this situation, to get onto the streets and demand action from this illegitimate, criminal government. When our children ask us ‘what did we do’ to avert this crisis, we better have a good answer.”
One of the people taking action today, Judit a 69 year old grandmother from Epsom, said:
“My family were refugees from Hungary in 1956 when I was a young child. I despair for all the desperate people who have to leave their homes and countries because they are no longer able to feed their families or eke out a livelihood. It is estimated that there will be over 1.2 billion displaced people by 2050 because of the climate emergency.”
“I have worked in environmental education since the 1980’s. We knew about the dangers of global warming then, yet nothing much has happened. I have to take action for my seven beautiful grandchildren. I can’t bear to imagine the suffering that they will have to endure because of this government continuing to licence new oil, coal and gas, against all better judgement and expert advice.”
Reports indicate that cricket will be the hardest hit of all the major pitch sports by the extreme conditions wrought by the climate crisis. Much of the cricketing world is at serious risk. In recent weeks, Asia has been experiencing a historic heatwave, with some Indian cities experiencing temperatures over 44C. Climate scientists are warning that this could be the year where summer temperatures in India pass the wet-bulb threshold of 35 degrees – a measure incompatible with human life. 230 million people around the world live less than one metre above sea level, including nearly 75% of Bangladesh – and sea levels are rising. 33 million people were displaced in Pakistan last year due to extreme flooding. [2][3][4]
Lords cricket ground boasts about being powered by 100% renewable energy; yet their ‘principal partner’ is JP Morgan, the world’s worst “fossil bank,” that contributed $317 billion in fossil fuel financing from 2016 to 2020, and continues to ‘greenwash’ to distract from business as usual. [5]
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 2022, there have been 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison, many without trial. Just Stop Oil supporters Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker are serving three year prison sentences for resisting new oil, gas and coal.
Just Stop Oil is calling on everyone to get off the sidelines and join in civil resistance against new oil, gas and coal.
The time is now. Join us and slow march while you still can. Our indefinite campaign of civil resistance is underway and will not end until our government makes a meaningful statement halting new fossil fuel projects in the UK.
Join Just Stop Oil on a slow march at midday every Saturday, at Parliament Square until we win.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK. Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects. Climate Emergency Fund is Just Stop Oil’s primary funder for recruitment, training, and capacity building.
Just Stop Oil ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been, to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with siren sounding and ‘blue lights’ on.
[3] https://basis.org.uk/resource/hit-for-six/
[4] https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/25/asia/pakistan-flooding-climate-minister-intl-hnk/index.html
[5] https://www.vox.com/22349601/banks-fossil-fuels-finance-trillions-climate-change
